Juliette Gagliardi
Junior Researcher
Men's health in Italy - Statistics & Facts
Life expectancy at birth among males in Italy is one of the highest worldwide, at 81.1 years in 2023. As age advances there is a higher chance of developing a number of chronic diseases. However, on average, fewer men than women in Italy are affected by chronic diseases, with men consuming fewer medicines than women, across all ages. Cancer is the number one cause of death for men in Italy, followed by deaths from circulatory system diseases. Nevertheless, the overall cancer mortality rate in Italy among men is lower than the European average.
Risky behaviors
Men have a higher tendency to engage in risky behaviors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, having an unhealthy diet, excess weight, and physical inactivity, which are determinant in the deterioration of health. For example, when it comes to alcohol consumption, the share of males consuming excessive amounts of alcohol reached 13 percent in 2022, while 10.5 percent were considered binge drinkers. Being obese is another risk factor for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, with physical inactivity and an unhealthy diet the main causes for the rise in obesity. In Italy, the number of obese men exceeds the number of obese women in every age group, except for those aged 75 years.Cancer
The most frequently diagnosed cancer in Italy among males is prostate cancer, with roughly 41.1 thousand new cases estimated in 2023 and 564 thousand men living with a diagnosis of prostate cancer at that time. Although, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and is often identified in advanced stages when it is harder to treat, it is not the deadliest cancer. As a matter of fact, lung cancer is the type of cancer causing the highest number of deaths among men in Italy, followed by colorectal and prostate cancer.Erectile dysfunction
It is estimated that roughly three million Italians suffer from erectile dysfunction, commonly called male impotence, which is defined as the persistent or recurrent inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual intercourse. Smoking, consuming alcohol, and obesity, are some of the organic and modifiable factors which increase the chance of suffering from erectile dysfunction. Diabetes, conversely, is one of the organic and non-modifiable factors increasing the occurrence of erectile dysfunction. In Italy, the consumption rate of erectile dysfunction drugs has increased in recent years, reaching 5.5 DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day in 2022, whereas in 2015 this figure was 2.9. During the same period, the average cost of these drugs has decreased significantly.
